We have turned into a society of remixes and tinkerers. Whether it’s making content on our own, or changing content and “mixing” it with content someone else has created, we take what others have created and personalize it.

C-11, An Act to amend the Copyright Act, is currently being debated in Canada. It has been compared to the US’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). While C-11 isn’t quite as draconian as those two, there are sections that are concerning, especially when it comes to how it deals with digital protections and “jailbreaking” electronics.

The legislation in section 41 makes it illegal to circumvent “technological protection measures.” This could be anything from jailbreaking your phone to downloading a patch so that you can play a video game. Being able to modify programs, to use programs on homebrew systems, and to fix incompatible digital protection measures would not be allowed any more. This could stifle innovation.

Stand with the Entertainment Consumers Association™ to oppose this section of C-11.